And for this reason, namely, of love and necessity,
Sunday has been retained, not on account of the Mosaic precept, but for
the sake of our necessities in order that we might rest and learn the
word of God." [Note 2]
In his larger Catechism, Luther thus expresses himself. [Note 3]
"_This commandment, therefore, with respect to its outward and literal
sense, does not concern us Christians; for it is wholly an external
thing, like other ordinances of the Old Testament, confined to certain
conditions, and places, which are all now left free through Christ_.
But in order that we may draw up for the uninformed, a Christian
meaning of what God requires of us in this commandment, is is necessary
to observe, that _we keep the Sabbath-day, not for the sake of
intelligent and learned (gelehrten) Christians; for these have no need
of it:_ but in the first place, on account, of physical reasons and
necessities, which nature teaches and requires for the _common mass_ of
people, _men-servants_ and _maid-servants_, who attend during the whole
week to _their labor and employments_, so that they may also have a day
set apart for _rest and refreshment (erquicken:_) in the second, mostly
for the purpose of enabling us to take time and opportunity on these
Sabbath-days, (since we cannot otherwise attain them,) to attend _to
divine service_, so that we may assemble ourselves to hear and treat of
the Word of God, and then to praise him, to sing and pray to him.
Pages:
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149